Technical steering wheel does not turn back

I'm reminded of the 'boy who cried wolf' story. This and similar posts are a good example of why myself and I'm sure a lot of others shy away from offering help.

 

The closest the front wheels are to 'parallel' is when in the straight forward position, and even then they are usually toed in a little. As the wheels are turned, the inner wheel turns more than the outer so that each wheel follows the respective radius of it's path of travel to eliminate tire scrubbing. The inner has to follow a slightly tighter curve than the outer. This is really only relevant at lower speeds, such as tight turning in a car park. It is less important at higher speeds because we don't need to turn the wheels as much for cornering at speed.

To @Johan Hansson (if you do check back in), Ackermann principle is likely not the cause of your problem.

 

I always learn a lot reading these threads & I know others do too. It's always worth weighing in IMO. Even if the OP never checks back... someone else will absorb helpful information that they can use later or help someone else with, or another person having this problem might find this thread in the future and be able to solve their issue.

 

If the steering wheel doesn't want to return from a full turn, I would start by looking at caster and/or king pin inclination. If it is only the last 1/4 turn or so, I would start looking for something binding in the steering system.

 

I just returned from a nice sunset drive in my 31 coupe. Its all stock, old restoration, but when I bought it about 30,000 miles ago I put king pins and bushings in it. Steering box is good, its all greased, and it does not return to center without some aid. Wish I could bamboozle you guys with some engineering facts, but I can't. Model A's just don't self center, thats why we put other steering boxes in when making them more highway friendly

 

Don't think of it as offering help that is rejected. Think of it as contributing to the knowledge base that the HAMB provides. When you guys give good advice, it may not be heard by some, but it is definitely very helpful to many others that know how to use the search function. You are being heard........